Down to these two

[cjamescarr]

Thanks (in advance) for any advice/suggestions.

Looking to upgrade my router and have whittled the options down to these two:
(1) Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH
(2) D-Link dir 655

I only need single-band (not a lot of interference where I live), but I do need the gigabit ethernet (wireless backups to a NAS drive w/a gigabit attachment - would rather not throttle it down). Would like to keep things below $100 (cheaper the better, all other things being equal). I do need good range (needs to be able to reach my unattached garage), but my current - very old - netgear 'g' router gets me there, so I'm assuming almost any 'n' router would do the job.

Here are the concerns I'm struggling with.
Re: the Buffalo - not nearly the number of user-reviews out there (compared to the D-Link), so it's harder to get a good feel for the unit from the user crowd (smaller sample-size). Not as many "expert-reviews" out there either.

Also: I haven't heard much about it's reliability (dropping signals much? have to re-set it often? how does it stand-up over time? etc.), nor about the customer support available from Buffalo. I do like that it's got a two-year limited warranty (compared with one-year on most units including the D-Link).

So here the issue is mostly that I don't have as much information about the unit as I'd like.

Re: the D-Link - Essentially the opposite problem. It's a major brand, so there are "fans" and "haters" (for lack of better terminology) polluting the user-reviews pools. Similarly, because it's a major brand, lots of people buy them but make "user mistakes" and attribute their problems to the router. So it's difficult to evaluate the validity of the user-reviews, though they are in general highly positive. Expert reviews are all quite good which is encouraging as well.

Also haven't heard very much about the reliability issues (dropping signals? resetting often? how does it hold up over time?) nor much about D-Link's customer support.

More general issue: Haven't seen these two compared next to each other very often. Looking for a bit of that here!

About me:
Not a novice, not an expert. I'm not looking to twiddle with advanced settings or anything like that (nor would I likely be capable of doing it very well), just want to set up a reliable home-network and am fully capable of doing it even if the unit isn't "idiot proof".

Any suggestions/advice would be more than appreciated. Just want to get people's thoughts on which way to go between these two. Of course, if you think there's another "outstanding" unit that would meet my needs, feel free to suggest. I've whittled down to these two since they seem to be the best combination of "features I need", price, and positive reviews I've found so far.

Thanks again for any help.

 

[thiggins]

If you need a single-band N router there are lots to choose from. You don't see a lot of Buffalo coverage because they're really backed off wireless products in the U.S. since coming back after they resolved their lawsuit with CSIRO that barred them from selling wireless products for over a year.

The 655 used to be the "go-to" N router until D-Link had a bad run of firmware versions when they changed firmware platforms. I don't know if the current firmware is still problematic.

Hit the Wireless Charts to compare the two products for performance. I suggest you use the Performance Table view. You'll see that the Buffalo does better than the D-Link in most test locations.

Maybe the best advice is to repeat what one wise Forum poster said, i.e. pick the cheapest product, try it and if it doesn't work, take it back and try another.

Your requirements aren't that difficult. I would advise you to separate the Gigabit switch from the router. N radios run hot and Gigabit switches do too. And manufacturers don't do a great job of handling all that heat, which leads to premature failure and flaky operation.

 

[cjamescarr]

Thanks!

God that was a quick reply. Thank you very much.

I noticed how well the Buffalo had done in the performance testing - seemed to beat most everybody in that price range. I'd noticed the heat concerns with the gigabit switches but was not too worried about that since the location in my house where I'd be putting it is fairly cool even in the summertime, and I was a bit concerned about the escalating cost issue - having to buy three products instead of two.

If I've got a fairly cool location, will I still need to be concerned about the heat problem? I live in northwest ohio (cold winters), and the location would be right next to a window (house and windows are not insulated), and it's underneath a ceiling fan (for the summers). Or is the heat issue likely to be a problem even still?

Also happens to turn out that the buffalo router is, right now at least, cheaper than the D-Link.

 

[cjamescarr]

re: heat issue

If its relevant, the nas drive (actually looking at a buffalo there too since I caught the Linkstation Pro XHL on amazon earlier today for $119) would be the only thing connected to the gigabit ports (well, that and my cable modem). I'm assuming that heat-generation is considerably connected to use. yes?

 

[thiggins]

Yes, heat is related to use. You'll probably be ok. Just trying to give you all the facts.

The Buffalo user interface can be more confusing than the D-Link. But you can get the job done and you won't be futzing with it that much anyway.